Opera launching WebKit-based Ice browser in February

Opera Software will unveil a new browser during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The company which makes the world’s most popular mobile web browser, Opera Mini, will launch a WebKit-based product with revamped UI that is described as cleaner and easier to use, relying heavily on gestures and big, easy-to-grasp icons.

The forthcoming Opera Ice will be available for Android and iOS, supporting both smartphones and tablets, with the idea to emerge as Opera’s primary mobile product. In that sense, it will offer both “full web” experience alongside bandwidth-saving features from Opera Mini.

The goal is to focus on HTML5 and allow developers to make multi-platform apps using web standards.

A Windows Phone version may also be developed, but Opera first wants to evaluate whether such a product will fly on Microsoft’s platform. In any case, we’ll make sure to get back to you with more information from Mobile World Congress and in the meantime, you can check out the first demonstration of Opera Ice in the video below. Enjoy!